Rich~WTG on getting your 5.5 miles run in the rain! I enjoy running in the rain in summer(around 75 degrees), but this time of the year....not too much! DH was stationed at Coronado during the 70's and loved San Diego weather.

Yesterday DS1 and I ran race #4 of the 6 winter races. After checking the weather report for Sunday morning, I decided to switch to the 10k and run it as a training run. My HM training called for 11 miles to be run, so repeated 5 miles of the route after I finished the race. The out & back route was run on part of an extensive bike path that weaves through the county. Rolling terrain, prairie, wooded areas and bridges made for an interesting route. Much preferred over courses through residential areas. Other than the wooded bridges, the paths had been cleared of snow and were in great winter running condition. Weather was around 25-degrees F, SW wind @10mph and overcast skies. The 5k went off first and I cheered on son at the first .5 mile mark. Returned to the expo to stay warm until I saw the front 5k runners, then headed to the finish line to see son finish. Missed his goal by 11 seconds, but 3rd in AG! I headed to the start line for the start of the 10k, with a nice field of about 300 runners. I had forgotten my Garmin at home on the charging station- duh Well, it was to be training run, right? When the gun fired, I tried deliberately to begin at an easy pace. As the group passed the expo center, a fair group of spectators cheered us on as we transitioned from the parking lot to the bike path. I located another runner who runs close to my pace, and we ran together for the first 4 miles. Grabbed a cup of water and walked through the water/aid station with 1.5 miles left in the race. At mile 5, the wind picked up and it began to rain ice pellets. So happy I wore eye protection! The final mile travels up a long rise and then curves down behind the expo center. You can here the PA and cheers at the finish echoing off the building so you know you are close. I was feeling strong and decided to pick up my pace a bit,. As I turned the corner, son was there with the news I was at 64 minutes. If I could hold this pace it would be a PR for me. The finish line and clock was in view and as the youngsters sprint to the finish line because they just can't be seen finishing behind an oldster, I finished 65:01. Maybe I should forget my Garmin more often! Took 1 minute, 15 seconds off my previous 10k time, and good for 4/6 in AG. The race series is VERY generous with their awards, with 10 place medals going for AG. Picked up medal, 1/2 banana and a sip of water and headed out for a very slooooow 5 miles. After, son and I headed for breakfast, much needed coffee and then home for a BIG nap for me!

Steve~We posted at the same time, so great to hear from you! Your granddaughter is 5 months already! I'm sure she is the apple of grandpa's eye, too! Hope you are able to get into the Bjorkman again this year, always sounds like an enjoyable race for you. It's great to attend with family members, too. Many of us have migrated over to RA due to the problems on this site,http://www.runningahead.com/. Ray started a 50+ thread under the user group headings. Please, come on over.

Debra: I tried twice to create an account on runningahead, but was unable to do so. I used the same user name and password as I have here, but runningahead would not respond with a confirmation. I tried to log in through the home page, but it froze. I don't know what the problem is, but I'll try again later.

--Steve

Completed in 2012:

The Qualifier HM, Midland MI, May 2012, 2:58, 80+ degrees

Dam to Dam 20K, Des Moines, IA, June 2012, 2:17, PR for this race

Garry Bjorklund HM, Duluth, MN, June 2012, 2:20

Fox Valley HM, St. Charles, IL, 9/16/12, 2:23

Des Moines HM, 10/21/12, 2:19

Tentative plans for 2013:

Wisconsin (Half) Marathon, Kenosha, WI 5/4/2013 (registered)

Dam To Dam 20K, Des Moines, 6/2/2013 (registration opens March 20th)

Grandma's (Half) Marathon, Duluth, MN, 6/22/2013 (if I get picked again in the lottery)

OK, I figured it out, created a profile on runningahead.com with an avatar of myself, son and daughter-in-law from the 2011 Des Moines Marathon. Randy's ribbon is a different color because he did the full marathon rather than the half. This year he has signed up to do Tough Mudder in Wisconsin in July. Oh to be 33 again.

--Steve

Completed in 2012:

The Qualifier HM, Midland MI, May 2012, 2:58, 80+ degrees

Dam to Dam 20K, Des Moines, IA, June 2012, 2:17, PR for this race

Garry Bjorklund HM, Duluth, MN, June 2012, 2:20

Fox Valley HM, St. Charles, IL, 9/16/12, 2:23

Des Moines HM, 10/21/12, 2:19

Tentative plans for 2013:

Wisconsin (Half) Marathon, Kenosha, WI 5/4/2013 (registered)

Dam To Dam 20K, Des Moines, 6/2/2013 (registration opens March 20th)

Grandma's (Half) Marathon, Duluth, MN, 6/22/2013 (if I get picked again in the lottery)

I will be 52 in March. I ran some over the past summer, mostly to just get outside and stay in shape. I was bicycling almost daily before that. I stopped running to go back to my bicycle until it got cold. In January I started a competition with a friend to loose weight and get back into better shape cause I ain't gettin' any younger! I am running on a treadmill right now until I can get outside. I started out pretty good for a beginner, but my 3 mile runs started to get really hard. I lift weights 3 times a week and run 3 times a week. My fastest run was a 3 miles in 13.53 minute mile, and I was barely able to make it to the end. Pretty slow, and I was struggling through it. After reading some beginner running articles, came to the conclusion that I was pushing too hard too soon. I usually would workout for an hour and a half and then do the treadmill walking at inclines for 2 miles, then the next day i would run. I did this for six days and then took a day off. Today I slowed down, eased up on my weights and ran for minutes instead of miles. I did 30 minutes pretty slow, a 14.76 minute mile. I used to do some bodybuilding in my late 20's early 30's, and have not been a stranger to the local gym for the last 10 years on amd off, so I was doing some pretty intense workouts for the last month. I have also lost almost 11 pounds since January 1st, I am very happy with that, but not my running time. I want to do a 5K in April but I feel like I am just too slow. I did one about 2 years ago, after taking a running class, and barely could run at all and finished almost last. Thats when I took up bicycling. I am so afraid that I won't be able to finish this one comming up. I am going to keep working at it and hope for the best come April. Looking forward to meeting people who are going through or have gone through the same situations I have.

Mystic- Welcome to the thread. Sounds like you are doing great. From reading your entry it sounds like you are really putting a lot into your workouts. If running is what you want to key in on you might want to cut back a little on the weight training. The big plus for you is that you are already used to routines. What I would key in on is being able to run 4-5 miles (at no specific speed) without stopping. As you build up the mileage the speed will come. April is two months away and that is certainly obtainable. I lost 55 pounds five years ago (I'm 52 now) through running and have kept it off primarily by sticking to a running schedule of roughly 30 miles/week and biking about 60 miles/week. It took awhile to build up to it but it can work .

Hey Momofnine - Hats off to you first for being a mom of 9....I'm a mom of 4 and stepmom of 4 (who live with us) so I'm a mom of 8.....i have a really good idea of what your life is like daily!! I read your posts and I agree with Calbiker that you may be pushing too hard. Running is a very mental sport so now that you mind knows you're "training" your body may resist. You said that when you were running "leisurely" before you started training your body seemed ok with it all. Your body is going to resist and you have to slowly trick it into new speeds and/or longer distances. I always listen to my body....good days I push for distance or speed, days when I'm aching or tired I just do an easy run. I've had very little injury since I adopted that methodolgy.

Now I just recently turned the big 50 (Oct 2012), but I can tell you that my body will reject changes unless I introduce them slowly, and one at a time...either increase distance or increase speed but definitely NOT both at once. I'm sure you'll finish your race and feel fantastic at the end that you accomplished it! But don't worry so much about your time right now. If you're like some of us, you won't even always get your best time when racing. For me, I'm like a horse...I need blinders on when I'm racing....lol...I get uncomfortable with all of the runners and different paces around me. I have to phase everyone out and get off to the side, but I love running and enjoy the short distance races (5k & 10k).

Good morning. This is my first post on this site. I'm actually trying to post a general comment but am not seeing how to do that so I'm responding to Art's post. I'm 52 and returned to running about four years ago. Once I was able to run three miles on a regular basis, I set up a schedule of four runs per week. I've never done long distances, my longest run being about 7 miles. I live in the suburbs north of NYC so I've got lots of hilly terrain available. I typically run about 15 miles/week, doing 5-6 on Sundays with Mondays off. My pace has been just under 10 min/mile on level ground and 10:30/mile on the big hills and longer runs. My PR was 29:35 in a 5k in Bethany Beach. De. One of my goals has been to a avoid serious injury which has gone well, up to now. I developed a hamstring injury about 8 weeks ago and it's the most frustrating thing ever! I was nursing it along with lots of rest, ice, stretching, and elliptical work which was going well until I pushed it and ran three times in one week, thinking I was good to go. Aggh! I was not. This set me back weeks in my recovery. I switched to elliptical only for two weeks and added three mile runs, one at a time. I am now training four times/week, alternating between running and elliptical. This is driving me crazy as I hate indoor work - I need fresh air! But - I am determined not to go backwards again so I'm staying the course. I've been using my nephew, who is in year five of his six year PhD program in PT for a trainer. He's far away and we're working thru texts and phone calls. Any thoughts on seeing an orthopedist? I'd rather not - time, money, hassle - but I'll force myself if need be. If anyone has experience with hamstring trouble I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

First, post in The Med Tent. You're more likely to get good answers. This particular thread is no longer very active. From the Running Community page, click on The Med Tent in the left column. Once there, go to the Right side of the page and click on Start a Thread.

Hamstrings can be particularly troublesome if injured and can take some time to heal. Hopefully your PT nephew will be able to help. Are you sure it's hamstring and not, for instance, piriformis syndrome? They both can have similar symptoms. Personally, a good PT or massage therapist will probably do more good than an orthopedist, since it sounds like the problem is muscular, not structural.

Hey folks. I have beeen away for quite a while. Combination of reasons including complete computer crash, injury and hiatis from running.

When I tried to find the old forums without my "bookmarks" I couldn't find any of the old threads including the penguins forum. It seems as if the whole site was down for a while. I finally did find this one and saw some familiar names. So HI EVERYONE!

How is it going? I'll start checking the site daily and posting when I have something to say.

Just barely running now. Have less than 30 total miles for 2013 and its all slow. But at least I am back on my feet and the weather is getting more run friendly.